1. Field
The present application relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to systems, methods, and devices for monitoring a wireless network. Certain aspects herein relate to enabling a high power receiver based on information received at a low power receiver.
2. Background
In many telecommunication systems, communications networks are used to exchange messages among several interacting spatially-separated devices. Networks may be classified according to geographic scope, which could be, for example, a metropolitan area, a local area, or a personal area. Such networks would be designated respectively as a wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), local area network (LAN), or personal area network (PAN). Networks also differ according to the switching/routing technique used to interconnect the various network nodes and devices (e.g. circuit switching vs. packet switching), the type of physical media employed for transmission (e.g. wired vs. wireless), and the set of communication protocols used (e.g. Internet protocol suite, SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking), Ethernet, etc.).
Wireless networks are often preferred when the network elements are mobile and thus have dynamic connectivity needs, or if the network architecture is formed in an ad hoc, rather than fixed, topology. Wireless networks employ intangible physical media in an unguided propagation mode using electromagnetic waves in the radio, microwave, infra-red, optical, etc. frequency bands. Wireless networks advantageously facilitate user mobility and rapid field deployment when compared to fixed wired networks.
The devices in a wireless network may transmit/receive information between each other. The information may comprise data packets, for example that include overhead information (e.g., header information, packet properties, etc.) that helps in routing the packet through the network, identifying the data in the packet, processing the packet, etc., as well as data, for example user data, multimedia content, etc. as might be carried in a payload of the packet.
Communications between devices in the wireless network may be intermittent. To ensure that such communications are received, a device may monitor the wireless network for communications that are relevant to or addressed to the device. In some networks, a paging message may be transmitted to the device to alert the device that a data communication will follow. Monitoring the wireless network for paging messages or other communications, however, may be costly to the device because of power consumed by the monitoring. Thus, improved systems, methods, and devices for monitoring a wireless network are desired.